Secrets
by Nightfire01
Summary: Ikuto Tsukino wants to know what Usagi is hiding...or does she?


Author's Note: I don't own Sailor Moon. I wish I did but I don't. This story is from the point of view of Usagi's mother, Ikuto Tsukino. Enjoy!

Secrets

It did not make sense.

Coming home late at night, skipping school, unexplained scraps and cuts. Ikuto knew something was wrong with Usagi but what she could lay her finger on it. Usagi had once acted like any other 14 year old school girl, carefree and happy.

But then she got a strange black cat with a crescent moon shaped bald spot on its forehead that Usagi had named Luna. Ikuto had not wanted Usagi to keep the cat but Usagi had been firm and the cat stayed. Ikuto could see that the cat was almost unnaturally close and almost protective of Usagi.

Then Usagi started to disappear, not coming home until late at night, exhausted. There had been no explanation and Ikuto started to get worried when Usagi's grades started to slip even lower. Even when Usagi started to spend time with the girl genius, Ami Mizuno, things did not improve. They would talk in low whispers, Luna on Usagi's lap but would fall silent when Ikuto went near them.

Still, Ikuto did not press her daughter on what was going on. Usagi started to not even come home after school, going to a shrine with Ami. Ikuto wondered why Usagi was friends with two girls who were very different.

Raye Hino and Ami were nice girls but Ikuto sensed that there was something odd about them. Usagi started to come even later at night.

"This is interesting. There is another one of those Sailor Senshi who calls herself Sailor Mars," Kenji read the paper with interest. There was a big front page article with pictures of Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor V and the new senshi, Sailor Mars.

"That's good. There are a lot of odd things going on in this city," Ikuto said as she set out breakfast.

"WAHHHHHHHHH! I'm late again!" Usagi dashed into the room. She did a full stop when she saw the pictures on the front page, her mouth hanging open. She looked up at her parents, as if expecting them to say something.

"Something wrong, Usagi?" Ikuto asked.

"Uh, nothing," Usagi smiled, grabbed a piece of toast and dashed out the door fast. Ikuto glanced at the picture of Sailor Moon. She had almost the same hairstyle as Usagi and clear blue eyes. Ikuto went back to her work, laughing to herself. There was no way her Usagi could be Sailor Moon who had fought many enemies and saved a lot of people.

She paused. Or was it?

Usagi started to hang around with a girl named Makoto Kino whom made Ikuto nervous. Makoto was tall and obviously knew how to fight. Yet she and Usagi seemed to be very close despite the fact that they had only known each other for a few days. Soon a new senshi appeared, Sailor Jupiter.

Then Minako Aino arrived along with the news that Sailor V, otherwise known as Sailor Venus, had joined forces with Sailor Moon. That's when things got worse. A white cat that had the same bald spot as Luna started hanging around the house. Usagi looked more nervous and depressed. She started to read the paper everyday, paying the most attention to stories about some man named Tuxedo Mask looking for something called the Silver Crystal.

"I don't believe it," Ikuto heard Usagi sigh as she set down the paper.

"What don't you believe, dear?" Ikuto asked.

"Oh, nothing," Usagi lied, smiling. Ikuto knew her daughter was hiding something but didn't press it.

The next day Usagi wore a pretty silver crystal on a chain. Even though Usagi tried to hide it under the blouse of her school uniform, Ikuto had glimpsed it when it had slipped out.

"Usagi, where did you get that necklace?" Ikuto stopped her daughter. Luna froze, looking up at them and for a moment Ikuto saw nervousness in the cat's eyes.

"Naru-chan gave it to me," Usagi lied easily, tucking it under her shirt again. Ikuto knew that Usagi had not seen Naru in a while since Naru called once in a while to see how Usagi was doing.

"How nice," Ikuto said evenly, hurt that Usagi would lie to her. "If there is anything you want to talk about, you can come to me."

"I know."

Ikuto was hurt that her daughter would hide something from her own mother. She couldn't under what Usagi would even be hiding.

Strange things started to occur. A cousin that Ikuto didn't remember appeared but she looked very much like Usagi and had pink hair. The girl vanished for a short while then returned.

But then Usagi started to see people that Ikuto certainly did not approve of. They were high school students of Mugan Academy and there was something cold about them. Usagi however looked up to them. Usagi would talk about how she wanted to be a painter and musician like Michiru-san constantly, stars in her eyes.

In the news, two new Sailor Senshi appeared, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune. However, they seemed to be working against Sailor Moon. Usagi came home late every night looking upset or with red puffy eyes, wiping away tears.

"Why can't we work together?" Ikuto heard Usagi sigh once as she went to her room, head bowed. Ikuto had no idea who Usagi was referring to.

Usagi finally made it to high school much to Ikuto's relief. The girl with the pink hair had left but one day; Ikuto found a little girl with red hair and heart shaped buns sitting on the couch, looking up at Ikuto with big blue eyes. So thus Chibi Chibi joined the household.

But Usagi got very depressed. Ikuto noticed that she wore a ring that she never took off and often looked out the window, looking close to tears. Ikuto was getting calls from the high school that Usagi was cutting class and Ikuto had found one of Usagi's school uniforms shredded and torn beyond repair. Usagi had offered no explanation.

Ikuto tried to watch over her daughter, to try to make her happy but nothing worked. Usagi insisted every thing was fine but there were always shadows in her once clear blue eyes.

Suddenly it made sense. Ikuto could not believe that she didn't see it sooner, it was so clear.

Usagi, her daughter, was Sailor Moon.

The late nights, her friends, the cat, the strange injuries, skipping classes, her low grades. Ikuto had been hard on Usagi while she should have been grateful that her daughter was coming home at all.

Ikuto didn't know what she could do but be there for her daughter. She excused Usagi's absences when the school called. She left snacks in the fridge for Usagi when she came home at night and some tuna for Luna. And she never asked questions. She didn't want to know the answers.

One night Usagi crept into the house close to midnight.

"Usagi-chan, you should have been more careful…but, good job," a voice, female, said.

"Thanks, Luna," Usagi yawned as she trudged upstairs. Ikuto was in the kitchen, listening. Usagi had a talking cat…Luna must be some type of guardian and that's why Usagi had insisted the cat stayed.

"That cut needs to be dealt with. You don't want to get an infection," Luna said sternly but like a mother.

"I know, I know," Usagi grumbled. Ikuto finished the dishes and went to check on her daughter, grabbing hydrogen peroxide and bandages.

"Usagi?" she knocked on her daughter's door.

There was a moment of silence then Usagi said, "Come in."

Ikuto slowly opened the door and walked in but stopped when she saw Usagi, her eyes widening.

Down Usagi's arm and side was a long scratch and scrapes. Usagi just looked down, silent as Ikuto sat by her and started to clean the wounds.

"You should be more careful, Usagi," Ikuto said simply. Usagi nodded and looked relieved that Ikuto did not ask what had happened. Ikuto knew that if she had asked, Usagi would have lied.

She finished, carefully bandaging the wounds. She stood and started to walk out.

"Thanks Mom" Usagi's voice was quiet and heavy with sleep already.

"You're welcome," Ikuto smiled and walked out, shutting the door behind her as she heard Usagi settling down on her bed.

Her daughter might be out there fighting monsters everyday but Ikuto would always be there for her. It was hard not to try to protect her daughter. Ikuto had wanted to forbid Usagi fighting again but she knew that was not possible. She would never make Usagi make a promise that she would break.

When Usagi came into the kitchen for breakfast the next morning, she looked tired, yawning. She avoided looking at the article about Sailor Moon and the senshi healing a possessed movie star.

"Usagi, did you see this article? Sailor Moon and her senshi are so brave to do so many things," Ikuto said with a small smile, handing the paper to Usagi.

"Yeah…she is….she has a lot of people who love her," Usagi said, smiling back at her mother. 'AHHHHHHHH! Is that the time! I'm late again!" Usagi flew out of the room in a flurry.

Ikuto smiled. Usagi would always be Usagi no matter what.


End file.
